No wonder why the Pakistani establishment remained so strong and democracy so weak since Independence. If our judiciary had been protecting dictatorships through "law of necessity" since 1954, our politicians from the day one remained "hypocrite" and, by and large, loyal to anti-democratic forces. So, why today, there is so much "hue and cry" over sending former president and ex-army chief Pervez Musharraf abroad. Is it not hypocrisy of our politicians, whether ruling or in opposition? This approach has made the system unstable.
In this country, model Ayyan Ali could be barred from going abroad, actresses Atiqa Odho could be charged with keeping two bottles of liquor, but anyone who abrogated the Constitution is a free man and those responsible for making Katchi Shraab, which killed 54 people in interior Sindh, were protected.
There can be two opinions on whether Musharraf alone was responsible for the November 3 emergency or there were abettors as well. He may be the one who had taken the decision, but if the man had consulted his colleagues for the October 12, 1999 action, Lal Masjid operation, seeking resignation from former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, he must have consulted his "kitchen cabinet" of the then civil and military leadership. But all this absolved his own role in the second action after October 12.
Gen (retd) Musharraf rightly thanks Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Federal Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan, perhaps for the safe exit, but there is a long list of people whom our beloved retired general should thank. After all, he also allowed the Sharif family to go abroad in 2001. The only difference was that the Sharifs went after signing a "deal" for 10 years, while no such deal about Musharraf has yet come to surface. This clearly reflects the strength of non-civilian actors in this country.
But Musharraf did "injustice" in thanking only two politicians. He should have also thanked the opposition parties and judiciary as well. When he sacked an elected prime minister, who had a two-thirds majority, on October 12, 1999, the then opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, gave a "guarded welcome" to the coup. Another political leader, Imran Khan, supported his action and remained his unholy alley till 2002. The then establishment revolted against Sharif's decision to appoint Gen (retd) Ziauddin Butt as army chief.
Gen Musharraf should also thank the then full bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan which, in 2001, not only legitimised his rule but also allowed him something which he had not requested, i.e. to make amendments to the Constitution. How generous was our judiciary with someone whom we call a "dictator"?
Musharraf should also thank the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) which struck a "deal" with him before giving him "indemnity" under the Legal Framework Order or through 17th Amendment. All this happened when his government handed over Dr Aafia Siddiqui to the US, and, during this period, these parties did not even move a single resolution of condemnation against him.
The Pakistan Peoples Party deserves a big thank from Musharraf as for him, the party had even buried its entire democratic struggle. First, after a guarded welcome, the PPP thought it would get the space to win elections. Musharraf barred Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif from taking part in the 2002 elections. Secondly, the PPP committed the biggest blunder when it signed an NRO, and that too after signing the Charter of Democracy with Nawaz Sharif. It’s sad as Musharraf once again backed out and asked BB to come to Pakistan after elections. She came earlier and was assassinated, under what many believe a big conspiracy.
Musharraf's special thanks must go to former president Asif Ali Zardari and former interior minister Rehman Malik for his safe exit, after his retirement as the army chief and the PPP victory in the 2008 elections. He was not even "questioned" over his alleged role in Benazir's case during the whole PPP tenure. Under the PPP rule, he was a free man.
Musharraf should also thank his old colleagues, some of whom have now acquired place in the media as "defence analysts," for defending his case in TV talk shows. Special thanks for those anchors too, who pleaded his case quite strongly in their own way.
In the end, the former general must be thankful to those whom he put in a difficult position when despite their "advise" not to come, he decided to return home and put them in an embarrassing position and left them with no choice but to protect him till he was finally allowed to go abroad for "treatment."
Although in the last 68 years, our judiciary has protected every Martial Law and dissolution of assemblies, the emergency imposed on November 3, 2007 never got legal protection.
While civilian rulers came into power through "compromises," the opposition often played in the hands of the establishment, some even waited for "umpire's finger". Therefore, even though there are few signs of hope that, in future, governments would only be changed through elections, democracy still remains a "dream," for the true democrats. So, it’s better if parties stop blame game and look for way forward.
The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang.
